Manufacture of oxalates.



AFFI-( TION FILED JAN. 30. 1908.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

zSHFET VSUEET 1.

Looms?,

2 SHBETS-SHLLT MANUFAWURE oF oXALATEs.

APPLICATION TILED JAN. 30,'196, ,114001 w93?, batened Aug'.

7' nutren s'rnrEs Parana? J CARLETON'ELLIS, 0F LARCHMONT, NW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO LIGN CHEMXCAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEMJr YORK. l

MANUFACTURE er oxALA'TEsm and State of New York, have vinvented certain new and useful Improvements in'the `Manufacture of Oxalates; and I do hereby A sp'eiiieatin of Letters raient. Appiiatio ined .ianpary 30,*1908. serial No. manlief declare the following to be a. full, clear, and

exact description of.tl1e"same, such as will V10 enable others skilled in the art to which such improvements relate to practice and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in th'e manufacture ot',oxal'ates;m and comprises a process of making oxalates'ilwhieh includes the productinof a traveling stream offoxalateformingtmaterial and the 'treatment of such stream under varied thermal andother conditions at different points along its line '20 of travel to ,produce oxalates; all' as more fully hereinafter set forth and as claimed.

Various Vconstituents of Vegetables and if'egetable tissues, such 4as the carbohydrates,

lignin or 'lignonc, etcj, upon treatment with caiistic potash at temperatures 'above 10()o (l. undergo a progressive series of changes which, underproper .conditions finally result in the product-ion of potassium Aoxalate together with other bodies. In the prior art this fact has .been utilized in the production of'oxalates,v sawdust being im-A pregnated with about'twice its weight of caustic potash, or a mixture of caustic potash and caustic soda and the impregnatcd mass heated in openpans to temperatures around 300@ F. In impregnation. in order to producegranular easily handled compositions, the alkalis are used in the i torni7 of very stroingr lyespthe lye beingr so 40 .strong that with the reduisite amount. ot caustic the sawdust will be merel)1 moist, not

wet. In the subsequent heatingir ot course 'much of the water of the lye is soon ex pelled. Potash 1s always employed, either valone or in admixture with-somesoda, itI

being believed in the art. that soda alone will not answer. In the open-pan heating-in order to facilitatel evenness of heating,A

which is of course a. difficult matter with a 5U granular mass like sawdust, stirrers of some type are usually employed. The stirring also has the functlon of prointing oxidation; an oxidatwn of the mass icing 'deelrthe melt becomes more or less homogefneous.

.The described discontinuous operation in which -a Acharge of 'material is gradually heated upto a' given point in Jfree contact ,with air, though. giving connnercial yields requires much skill and the result of any given melt .is rather uncertainl Violent and uncontrollable reactions are apt to set in and produce charred or burned masses containing but little oXal-ate. 'Ihougli ,the oxalateforming reaction is started by eX ternal heat, at one point' in its development the action `is exothermic and at this stage the temperature of the mass shows `a tend- .ency to rise above the danger limit et about 480 F. With the uncontrolled of selfacce]erating'.'Y self-propaganng; phenomv enon. Dark colored spots appear in the VPatented Aug. 223% tutti. I'

mass and these rapidly spread until the whole mass may become charred. `lVlien the material is lumpy, the cliaiirii'lg may begin at the very centeroflumps, 2'. ,at the point farthest reiiioi-'ed from the exten. nal heating, and spread outwardly so that lumps which at one moment haven satis-- factory appearance in the next mayl appe'a'i' charredor browned. From one liiiiip the` action will spread to. another.l It, to avoid this dangerous reactiom ten'iperaturesbe kept rat-her low the melt is apt to develop acetates and other salts 'ra-thor than osalatesA pi'irticularly if oxidation he' limited,v andto torni undue amounts of linmous bodies which embarrass the subsequent. .recovery et" Normally, ordinary' crystalline oxa'lates. Y I sawdust when mixed with alkali and gently -hcatedshould torni a reddishm brown mass vwhich iqiadiialli-v ligliteiis in color as the temperature rises Ato about 350O F., ulti *mately* forming-r a light" yellow. easily leached. comparativi-ly puri` product.. VlVith excessive-teiiipei'a`tiires. such as those produced. in tlie spontaneous rise described` the iuass`becomes dark or even jet black and containsY little' or no oxalate whileivith lo'yiT temperatures the mass is also" dark from the presence of h umous bodies and mayeontain relatively little oxalate. and that 'in an inn lzo pure condition. It is obvious that in this operation great skill, care and experience on the part ot' the operator are required. The necessity, or presumed necessity, for the use'of potash is also a drawback in many cases, potash being relatively expensive as compared with soda.' lotash is not, as a matter of fact, absolutely necessary though it is often convenient since its presencen serves to facilitate the oxalate-forming re actions and thereby tends to counteract to some extent the uncertainty of the described operation. The. danger of spontaneous overheating is not so great with potash as with soda.

l t is the object of the present invention to provide a simple, cheap and ready method offforming oxalates which shall be free from the disadvantages of the older methods and shall have certain new and valuable advantages. giving enhanced yields with a,

simpler, surer and less laborious operation. ln the formation of oxalates by heating alkalized woody fiber constituents the action tends to take place in a plurality of successive stages, each, for the best work,

requiring special conditions of time,tem-l` perature, oxidation, etc., and it is found that. better yields, greater certainty of operation and much enhanced economy of time, labor and skill are secured'by performing these several stages severally and successively, each under the conditions best adapted thereto, in lieu of attempting ,to perform them all simultaneously, as must be the ease in heating the material in bulk in uniformly heated apparatus, since in such bulk heating different portions of thev mass are undergoing 4different reactions at the same time. To this end, the material is' 't'ompounds'which then break down into slmpler substances, ultimately becoming salts of various organic acids. ln this analytical action, absorption of oxygen is apparently of considerable importance. These salts on further reaction break down into oxalates. 'lheqoxalates so produced are, however, themselves oxidizable and are also sensitive to undueh at, easily breaking down into carbonates. T, e frequent destruction of the oxalate in the uncontrolled operations of the prior art is therefore easily explainable.

It is found that the access of 'air to the material should be controlled and Should be varied at different stages in the operation. It is also found that it is desirable that the moisture content of the material should be under control. As stated, in the process of the prior art, the moisture of thelye originally employed for impreg11ation rapidly evaporates as the material is heated so,tl1atin the first stages, the woody fiber is exposed` to the action of lye of steadily `increasing strength. It much conduces to the regularity and smoothness et' the oxalate formation if this moisture be replaced, at leastin part, by regulated additions of moisture to the traveling stream 0f material under treatment; such additions having the further utility of helping to repress the tendency toward the spontaneous rise of temperature to. dangerous heights. 85.

With the perfect control of conditions afforded in ,the present invention, the use of potash may be dispensed with and soda used as the only alkali. 'Potash may, however, also be employed.` As stated, it facilitates the oxalate-forming. reaction materially. The proportion of alkali t'fwoody fiber constituents is not a matter of indifference. The higher the proportion of alkali, the less danger appears of the spontaneous over- 95 heat-ing and the freer is 'the resultant pr'od- Y uct of humous bodies andther impurities. Low proportions of alkali While frequentl)v giving excellent oxalate yields give impure .reaction products. As a rule, the use of about two parts of alkali for every part of woody fiber constituents will give a good product; particularly Where the alkali is potash or containspotash. Larger propor, tions are frequently better; particularly with soda alone. Much elasticity as to ratio of alkali] to organic material is, however, permittetl by the perfect c ntrol of conditions ai'ordedi-n the present ethod.

In the accompanying drawings are shown, more or less diagrammatically, sundry of the many7 types ofapparatus adapted for use in the present process. l y

In this showing: Figure 'lis a View, part-ly in longitudinal vertical section and 115 partly in-elevation, of one type of apxparatus; Fig. 2 is a viewin-veirtieal closs section of the 'same apparatiis, the view'being taken at line m-m of Fig.`1; Fi 3 is a view, partly in longitudinal vertiea section 120 and partly in elevation, of anotherform of apparatus which may be used in conjunction with, or to replace, apparatus of the typeV of that shown in Fig, l; and Fig. 4 is a similar view of still another form,'which 125l may also be used in conjunction with, or to replace, the structure of Fig. l.

Taking first Figsl and 2, element l is a long horizontal trough or conduit, provided at its lower ,end a discharge 13g,

conduit 2 which may take material to another apparatus (as hereinafter' described) or deposit it in a vessel 3, which may contain water. This trough or conduit is provided with means for heating it,` which maybe, as shown,a flue 4 for flame Such flame gases-A may be provided, as shownby a grate-furnace 5. It being desirable to differentially heat different sec,

tions of the conduit, onomit heating altogether in 'certain other 'sections wherein exothermicwreactions are taking place, the flue as shown is provided with means vfor such differentiall heating. heating means, such as gas jets, might be used for different sections, the means shown are simple and well adapted for large-scale work. As shown, the flue is converted into a pair of sub-flues 6 and 7 by means yof an intermediate partition or septum 8. This septum, as shown, is composed of a series of pivoted damper plates 9 with intermediate -tixed plates, 10. With all the damper plates in horizont-al position, the normal flow of fire gases is through .the upper sub-flue, while by suitable manipulation of such damper-plates the fire-gases may lbe byy passed through any desired portion'of the lower sub-flue. As shown, the damper plates may be swung* to close either the upper or the lower sub-flue, or may restan an intermediate position to 'form the l/described septum. It is ordinarily desirable to heat both ends of the conduit, for reasons later'stated, and leave an infix-mediate section more or less unheated, andthe damper plates are shown arranged to secure this. Atthesupper end of the flues fire-gases exit through flue 1l leading to a stack.

The relative lengths of the heated and unheated Zones will depend upon the particular mixture under treatment and ,its observed tendency toward an exothermic action with development of undue heat.' With a mixture containing a large amount of potash compared to the amount of woody fiber, there is but little of this tendency and the unheated zone need be ibut short, but on increasing the amount of woody tiber or increasing the 'amount of soda, the develop-v ment of heat is greater and allonger un' heated zone with posltlve means t'or cooling become necessary. W'ith the dampers set. as

shown .in the accompanying illustration, thev relative lengths of heated and ,unheated zones are adapted to the .treatment of a mixture comprising much soda; as a mixture of soda waste lye and lPeruvian bark refuse.

As shown. the conduit is slightly inclined to facilitateh progress of material therethrough. lt is also provided with a conveyei mechanism 12. This conveyer may be provided with alternate conveyer blades, 13, shaped like a segment of a helix, and cutter or* knife bars, 14. The lower portion of the TvVhile separate conveyer shaft is shown without. blades toI permit clear illustration of certain pipe connections, but in practice it is provided with such blades,throughout its length. Above the conduit Fig. 2) is an arched cover- 15 to prevent free and unrestricted access of air, having a longitudinal opening 1.6 at one side to permit manipulation of the traveling stream of material. Near" this opening at various convenient points are mounted a series of flexible material and valved at 18.. Each of these pipes communicates with a pipe 19, leading from an airfan 20, and with a pipe 21, leading from a ian 22 Ionnected. to a pipe 23 tapped into the flue under the con duit whereby products pit combusticn may be withdrawn for a purpose later described. Another series of pipes or hose, 24, provided with spray nozzles 25, are connected to a water pipe 26. L

Solid material, as sawdust, is fed to, the conduit from hopper 27 by means of mixer and conveyer 28. Liquid material, as lye, is fed to the solid material in the. mixer from vat 29 by means of pipe 30.

ln the structuie of Fig. 3, 3l is an inclined cylindrical drum, having internal lifting 'vanes 31 mounted to rotate on bearings 32 and driven by gearing 33. A'heating housing 34 encircles a portion of the drum, this housing being heated by producer gas from producer 35, suitablenieans. Flue 36 withdraws products 'of combustion from the housing and directs them to chimney stack 37. A valved by-pass tiue 38 near the bottom of the housing vprovides means for diverting fiame gases, or a portion of them, without contactingwith the drum. This by-pass flue may be likewise connected to the stack.

or by any other' lower end of the drum is a stationary header vided vwith a discharge conduit 40 for 1inished material and sight holes 41. Pipes 42 and 43, provide respectively for introduction of air or products of combustion, or both together, and for introductionof steam or sprayed water. They are, as shown, preferably made flexible. At its upper end, the

kiln or drum is provided with a. conveyer 44` for introducing material, passing through the base orl dust chamber 45' of the chimney stack. The conveyer receives material from trough 46, which may be a mere mixing device or a structure analogous to that of Figs. 1 and The lower end of the cylinder being nearer the heat is milch hotter than the upper where the comparatively cold material is introduced, and the material is exposed to a graduation of temperature dur` ing its downward flow.

'In the structure of Fig. 4, 50 is a suitably heated revolving drum, provided with doctor 51, scraping ott' material a-nd discharging into vessel 52, which may contain water. The drum revolves over a heating chamber. 53, provided (as shownkwith air and producer gas inlet`s,1 respectively 54 and 55, and hafing a double dischar ed for hot products\ oillcombustion, one flue, 56, passing up in contact with the side'fof the drum and another 57 'by-passing said side. Suitable dampers 58 and 59 regulate the amount of flame contacting with the drum. At their upper end, both lues discharge into a heating chamber under a conduit substantiallylike that of ig. l, but here shown only fragmentarily.

In the use of the structure of Fig. 1, the solid raw material, such as sawdust, is fed*v into the mixer 28 Vfrom hopper 2T and liquid material, such as lye, added through f pipe 30. The conduit for a capacity of' 200 to 490 pounds of material 4per hour may be 50 to 60 feet long and arranged to handle such material ina traveling layer of 3 or 4 inches in depth. With a greater thickness of layer it is diiiicult to maintain the thermal conditions right Without a rapidlyf acting stirrer. The liquid and solid arethoc' 'oughly intermixed in the mixer, their relative proportions being preferably so ad- A justed that the mixture emerges in a dampbut not pastry condition into the conduit 1, With the dampers set. as shown.A the upper end and low'er end of the conduit are-heated while a midportion is left unheated. The extent which shall be heated and which shall be left unheated will depend upon the Vparticular mixture treated and whether the .oxalate formation is finished in the conduitor elsewhere. 'hen completed in the apparatus shown and usingr caustic soda lye with sawdust, the unheated zone should be comparatively long: partcula ly with lou1 proportions of alkali. In ghe heated zone, marked (/.the mixture is heated `and brought up to a temperature otabout. 350 F. As moisture rapidly evaporates and the mixture tends to become too dry. with resultant undue concentration of the lve' in the sawdust, some moisture should be added from the water spray. The evaporating moisture and the'presence of the hood 15 shield the surface of the .stream of material from direct contact with air. As some oxidation is, however. desirable this is furnished by the iet nozzles which are so arranged that an impinging jet of. air can be needled through the vapor overlying the stream. The amount of this air. and consequentl)v the oxidation. are obviously under the perfect control ot the attendant. The provision of the supply of products ot combustion enable.-l such attendant to dilute the air to any desired extent. The products of combustion contain much CO,l and thisis helpful at Leones? this point in carbonating a portion of the excess. of caustic soda.

As the material nears the stated temperature, a tendency toward exothermic action sets in and at this stage thevuse of external heat may become unnecessary or undesirable, and the dampers are set accordingly,

the Water spray and the products of combustion and air Ajet. ,being used to maintain the temperature at a. desired .point The water acts both by 'diluting or weakening the lye in the mixture and by its sheer chilling effect, while the air hasta heating action, since it promotes oxidation. After the exothermic action has run its course, the material is again subjected tol external heat to re-institute the normal course of reactions,` and to oxidize and destroy the humous and coloring bodies. Here-again the water spray and air and products of combustion may again be used tok'cont'rol and make normal the. actions in the trai-'cling "stream of material. At this point, the product-s of combustion are particularly useful for several reasons, `one being that the presence 'of C()2 inwthe circumambient atmoshere tends to repress destruction of oxalate y heap and oxygen, andanother'being that excess'of causticv sodais'carbo'natednd its combinations' with humous and [coloring ,matter arev broken up, so that., it is"y safer. to

use comparatively highr heats in finishing.

There is a tendency for other exothermic reactions, probably-partly dueto oxidation, 00

partly due to internal changes, to take place in the n'shing and the means of control described are very useful here. If there `is too much moisture in theV mixture atany stage, the hot products of combustion can be used to carry it olf. By propei` conjoint use of Water spray, air and hot products of.

combustion, theamount of moisture in the material. the temperature andthe oxidation can all be easily controlled. As the mass nears 450 F., it occasionally is apt to un-4 dergo a spontaneous decomposition, rising 25 to 50 and more in the case of sawdust. ll'ith Peruvian bark refuse, which is more reactive than ordinary sawdust, the temperature may ,go up 150 to 250. the mass intumescingv violently to `i'ive. a light colored melt free from humic acid bodies and coloring matters, and also free from oxalates. A spoiled melt from sawdust is apt to be dark brow'n or black anp'contain much humus. Vw y The material dischargecl'-from the conduit may he received in a body of water. or itmav be 'further heated and treated. elsewhere. Then subjectingT to further treatment elsewhere. it is frequently advisable i tends to set in. or ai'tcr it has run its course somewhat under control ot' the spray and jets. lt will then be discharged in the form ot' Ismall lumps or balls. which are often. with sawdust and alkali,'aliout tln` size ol" beans. 'l`l|e,; are tree ol liher. 'l`he granular mass, a'lter some cooling. can he ground lo powder and reheat'ed and will then oxidize and convert regularly.. This is a very etlirien-t means ot` attainingla good destruction ot coloring bodies. ,'l`he original heating has; done'away withmuch ot' the tendency to exothermir reactions and irregularity. The, material however need Ilot be cooled and groi'uid.' It' the' exotherm-ic reaction has been allowed to run its course, the material may simply be rapidly heated as on the roller ot' Fig. l,or slowly heated for a ronqmratively long period ol' time, as in the drinn-ot' Fig. Much' ot' course depends on the particular mixture under treatment and its tendency to yield humous bodies.

With easily reacting mixtures, or with mixtures which have been-partially converted elsewhere. the inclined' cylinder of l"`ig.A Il is useful. rl`he material enters this at its uppeil end and slowly/travels downward in the form of a stream resting on the bottom and lower `ascending ,iquadrant, itsI particular position ot' course depend-ing' on the. feed, the speed of rotation and the inclination ot thedrum. The lifting venes shown of 'courseI operate to tumble this stream somewhat andpromote lts contact with the atmosphere within the cylinder. The coulposition ofA this be. adjusted by proper use of the jets of products of combustion. air and steam. By the use of regulated amountsl o'f-steam, the tendency toward evaporation in the material ran be regulated and its moisture'content adjusted. The caustic alkalis are ot course hygroscopic, even at high turcs. Th l' amount of air admitted, and the consequent oxidation. are of course easilv regulated. Heat is furnished by the exteil,

nal heating jacket surrounding' the drum and controlled both by vregulating lthe'heat-` ing means shown and by the amount-ot steam and gases introdln-ed. rihe time of exposure to this heat. or the timelcontact factor. is adjusted by adjusting the speed of the drum and the lcedot material.

The structure ot llig. 4 is particularly ose'tul with easily reacting mixtures. lln thisl view, the condpit is slown breken awa)` :nul as discharging" on a heated drum. The material. which is more or less plastic and adhesive, travels.t'or'ivard on the drum as a thin layer well exjiosed to the air and ullinratelj.Y scraped oli' by the doctor and discharged into a body of water or other suitable cooling means.

IThe particular material treated is by no means a matter of imlitl'erence. While atmosphere [may temperawith soda lye and with acid sulfites, thel cellulose is isolated while the solvents lis solve and carry away the lignone. The so,

lutions formed are well adapted forthe present purpose. Sundry other fibers, like jute, appear to -be colnposed largely of` lignone bodies,` and arewvell adapted to the present purposes. Barks contain more lignonethan cellulose and are very well adapted. Extracted vegetable materials, like lthe of quinin, etc.,

residues left `after Iextraction from Peruvian bark; at'ter extracting tannin and dyesttt's from woods and barks, gall nuts, etcl, and even theY bagasse left after extractingsugar from various materials, all appear especially advantageous .in the manufacture oil oxalate; lpossibly because they are left open and porous in extraction, be ause-thcy contain large amounts -of lignone, because they are generally somewhat oxidized and altered in the extraction processes, and because, perhaps', they have "been freed of soluble, non-oxalateyielding bodiesv which would form humus and impurities. -lii'ghtwood chips and ref- 4 use left after extracting tu'rpentine are also suitable. It is with materials of the character ot' these extracted retusesthat my process' is particularly advantageous since they are apt to react, quickly and violently with the alkali.

The alkali employed in'ay be either soda 4or potash, or bot-h. Some -lime may also be used in conjunction with the more soluble 'alkalis lotash though expensive and not I necessary, as stated, is still often convenient as it facilitates reactions and permits quicker workb With 20 to 30 per centwof potash in Ithe alkali, the operation is much quicker permitting a given apparatus "to turn out more oxalate in a time unit. The potash cniployed can all be recovered in subsequent leaching operations and rated from the soda. Skoda does very well.

alone l-iowei'er Melts -cont-annng 1t are apt to exhibit more of theexothermic reactions,

but these vcan be well controlled in thc present method. 'Asa particularly con.-v

venient and' suitable source'of alkali,I regard the stated waste sodarlye from 4pajer mills. This contains much "ll'lgnone is solved from .the wood'r'employed to. form described process.

pulp, and, under suitable conditions, this' lignone is readily converted into oxalate. lhile it may be treated alone, its physical form as it appears coming from the evapo reactions.

A useful mixture employing waste soda lye is made by adding Q00 parts of caustic soda solution of 1.49. sp. g. to 200 parts of soda waste lye of 37 Baum and 35 parts of sawdust or waste residues from Peruvian bark. The soda solution precipitatesl and flocculates the organic matters of the le upon the sawdust and the mixture orms a pasty mass, readily treated by the At temperatures between 212"` and :265C F.. the bulk of the water evaporates, and the mass becomes nodular, the granules being pea-sized. Gradually raising the temperature to about 360O F., the mass becomes lighter colored and at 440 F. a disposition to exothemic action sets in which must be repressed with the water spray.

l A mixture of parts pt )wdered caustic. Asoda and 100 parts waste soda lye of 380 B.'

forms ajrather doughy mass, the lignone combinations separating asfthe caustic dissolves. This mass may,.-beheated aslsuch, but it is preferable to makeit more granular by the use of sawdustsand, Whiting. lime or other granulating body. f

A mixture whicliworks very well is made by the use of 200 parts of 38c B. soda lye. 50 parts sawdust sifted through a 50 mesh sieve, 200 parts of 49 per cent. caustic soda solution, 10 parts of Peruvian bark refusil and 120 parts of caustic potash. As produced in mixer '28, this forms [a very thick, nonsticky paste. A little sand, whiting or granulated coke makes it'more granular, but 1s not necessary with good work. `As this mixture passesfdown the conduit and over. the irst heatedtsection, the water begins toi 'evaporate and the mass becomes granular.

Using a small amount of impinging air and the water spray, the evaporation-loss is restrained, keeping the masslin goed condition and a fairly regular oxidation secured. As

f the temperature/reaches 350 or thereabout,

vuse of external heat .on the traveling stream is omitted and after/the bulk of the exotherl which the exothermic action tendstoset in may be pushed down to the endof the conduit, and the material there discharged for cooling and grinding, or for treatment on the drum or in the rotating cylinder. As the material passes Vdown the conduit, local developments of the exothermic reaction, as evinced by local changes in color, should be restrained by use of the water spray. 1f the impinging air jet at any point appears to cause too rapid oxidation, the air should be diluted with products of combustion toa greater or less extent.- If the mass appears too moist at any point, Athe excess of moisture may be carried olf by a free use of air or products of combustion. Another good mixture Vot' materials is '20 mesh sicrc, 300 parts sand, 320 parts of 50 per cent. caustic soda solution and 100 parts of 40 per cent. caustic potash solution.

Still another may be made by taking'lOO parts sifted pine sawdust and 550 parts ye of sp. g. 1.45, containing potash and soda in the ratio of 1:2. This mix is easily handled and, treated as described, gives a light coloredrefu'tionV product running high in oxalates. The temperature throughout may be maintained at about l0()L F. Awithout difficulty and without danger by the use of the described cxpcdients. The high ratio of total alkali to sawdust (about 2.5 to l) and the. presence of potash make the reactions unusually susceptible of control. Substitution of Peruvian bark waste for sawdust tends' to make the reactions more energetic.

l have noticed that with many of these' mixtures, the cxothcrmic action instead of being controlled may be anticipated. By heating the granulatedmaterial at a controlled heat ot' about 3530? till the fiber disappears and the granulatedumtss is amorphous, and then very-'rapidly raising the heat with full exposure to air', the granules swell up and turn white in a few seconds.' It the heat'be maintained they will then char, but if they are at once cooled. as by plunging into water. they will remain light and lwill give. a mass high in oxalate and almost tree Afrom humus. This operation may be performed in the apparatus of Fig. l, the jets at the bottom end of the conduit being fed with pure. or almost pure. air in large lquantity. (lr, and preferal'ily. the feed and heating may be so managed in the conduit as to deliver the material at the end at about 350 and such material at once highly heated on the rotating drum of Fig. l, being traveling down the heated conduit under' constant 'moistening after reaching about 350D-370o become converted into a mass of a consistency which maybe described as cheesy, or, perhaps, rather as a mass of somewhat doughy consistency, composed of small lumps, or plastic crumbs, which do not stick together but can be readily stirred and moved past each other. This plastic yet non-c oheringconsistency is excellently Well adapted for the use of stirring machinery, as for instance, the use of the conveyer shown in Fig. 1 and enables a good, easily handled and maintained stream of material to be passed down the conduit of Fig. 1, or

the cylinder 'of Fig, 3. llligh proportions of caustic soda alone appear to work as smoothly as less proportions of soda plus potash. A mixture of 150 parts caustic soda lyc ot' 1.5 sp. g., equaling 112 parts vof NaOH, with 50 parts sawdust gives results as good as the use of 75-10() parts of potash or potash and soda mixed.

Low proportions ot soda alone may be used, as in treating soda. waste lye mixed with inert granulatingpmaterials, butmore care and precautions are required and the resulting melt is frequently quite impure. Soda waste lye sometimes runs as high as 3 parts organic matter to 1 of NaOH, though this organic matter having been hydrolyzed extensively in soda pulp'making is equivalent `to `much less ordinary woody fiber material.

There lime is used as a component of the mix, the product contains much orall of its oXalate as insoluble calcium oxalate. lVit-h soda alone, it is of course presen-t as sodium oxalate. Usingmixtures-of potash andsoda and forming eonceut 'ated solutions oileachings derived from the melt, most orall the oxalate may be converted into sodium oXalate Which crystallizes out, while the potash Remains iii solution and may be recovered.

hat I claim is: v 1. In the manufacture of oxalates, 'the processI which comprises passing oxalate forming materials as a progressively moving stream or-layer through a succession 'of Zones maintained under different thermal 'condif tions, the conditions in each such zone being adjusted to the temporary thermal needs of impinging regulated tions of suchstreamg'such jets containing the stream of material at thc through such zone.

2. ln the manufacture of oxalates, the process which comprises producing a' con tinuously moving body or stream of material time of passing- `comprising alkali and woody fiber constitustituents, passing such stream throughl a heated zone maintained at. oxalate-forming temperatures, and shielding such stream against i'ree access of atmospheric air while `35 jets of air'upon por? regulated amounts of oxygeni 4, In the 'manufacture of oxalates, the process which comprises producing av continuouslymoving 4body or thin stream ofV material comprising alkali and Woody fiber constituents and passing such stream through a heated zone` maintained at oXalate-forming temperatures and at 'differential tempera- 95 tures in different parts Af such zone While exposing such stream to regulated oxidation.

5. In the manufacture of oxalates, the process which comprises heating a Insas of material comprising alkali and Woody fibel' 13j constituents-to an oxalatefrming temper- .atm-e, and maintaining it atsuch temperature until the conversion .into oxalate-is complete and supplying liquid 4moisture thereto during thel heating. ,105

6. In the manufacture of oxalates. .the process which comprisesheating a body of material comprising alkaliand Woody fiber constituentsjto an oXalate-forining temperature, and maintaining it atsuch temper- 11o ature 'until the conversion into oxalate is' complete, anfii repressing and controlling the temporary development' lot exothermic reactions therin by additions of moisture at the time of and during such development.

'l'. ln the manufacture of oxalates/the process which comprises heating a bodv oit material comprising alkali and Woody fiber constituents to an oxalate-forming temperature and maintaining it at, such temperature until the conversion into oxalate is completevand supplying additional moisture thereto from time to time during such heating. v i

8. In the manufacture of oxalates,` the process which comprises heating a. body of material comprising alkali and Woody 'ber constituents to an oxalate-forming temperature with partial exclusion of atmosphericair under conditions ofjregulatedjfoxiiso (lation while supplying liquid moisture thereto from time "to time. ..-9..I'n lthev manufactureof oxalat'es, the "'protess which comprises producing a. oo ntinu'ouslly moving body or stream 'of material comprising alkali and Woody liber contitu ents and passing such stream through *a heated zone" maintained at oxalate-forming temperatures while supplying liquid moisture theretofrom time to time.

10. Intliemanufacture of oxalates, the processv which coufiprisesv producing `a continuously movipg body or stream of material comprising alkali and HWoody fiber contituents and passing such stream through' a i heated' zone maintaiued'at oxalate-forming ,tempei'aturem repi'essiiig localized tendencies to exothermicreactions'by additions of liqnidi moisture at the point of such tendency.

Lil. In the lmanufacture of oxalates, the

process which comprises producing a continuously moving'body or stream of material comprising alkali and woody fiber ,confitu-v ents and passing such stream through a heated zone maintained at oxalate-orming temperatures while addin'g moisture to such stream at a plurality of points along its progress.

. 12. In the manufacture of oxalates, theV 3o process which comprises producing a eon- .,'utinuously movin body or stream of material cpmprising alka i and woody ber contituents and passing such stream through a heated zone maintained at different temper- 3.5 aturcsl at different.V points in the progress of such stream, such zone being maintained hotter at an initial point and ata final point than atan intermediate point in the progress of such stream.

40 '13. In the manufacture of oxalates, the

pyocess Whichv comprises producing a continuously moving body or stream of material comprising alkali and Woody fiber contituents and passing such stream successively past a surfacemaintained at a high oxalateforming temperature. a surface of less heat and finally past another surface ofi higher temperature than such first surface. y p

14. l'nthe manufacture of oxalatcs. the

process which comprises producing a. conV tinuouslv nioitiing body or stream of material comprising alkali and ,toody fiber confituents. passing such stream over surfaces havof air at different points,

i ng different. temperatures atdiifcrent .points in the progress of the stream and iinalhv over a relatively hotter surface under conditions of free oxidation. the material being reiiiovedA from such final surface and cooled ust priorto commencement of chairing.

15. In the manufacture of oxalates. the lprgcess Awhich comprises raising a body1 of interia'lMconiprising alkali and Woody fiber to'a temperature of about i350C F..trans ferring such body to a heated surface of! @much higher temperature under conditions;

' Loewe? of free oxidation, and quickly removing and cooling such body just\ prior to ycommencement of chai-ring. 16. In the manufacture of oxalates, th process which comprises producing a continuously moving body or stream of material comprising alkali and woody-fiber constituents, passin such .stream through a heated zone mai temperatures andE of different temperatures at,diii`erent points along the progress of sulh stream antinitial and a final point being of higher tefniperatuie than an interme iate point, shielding'such stream from 'free access of air during at least a lportion of it progress While permitting a regulated oxidation in such stream by limpinging jets each such jet being of controlled composition, adding moisture to such stream at different points along its progress and at a final point in its progress permitting freer 'oxidation than at prior points. A

17. In the manufacture of oxalates, the process which comprises heating a mass com-v prising soda ,Waste lye to an oXalate-forming temperature under oxalate-forming conditions and maintaining said mass as a con-` tinuously reaction.

18. In the manufacture of oxalates, the process which comprises heating a mass comprising soda Waste lye and extracted vegetable material to an oiralateforming temperature under oxalate forming condi'- tions. l

19. In the manufacture of oxalates, the process which comprises heating a mass comprising soda waste lye and extracted Peruvian bank residiiesfto an ,oxalatefor'ming 'temperature under 4oxalateiforniiiig conditions.

20. In the manufacture" of oxalates, tlie process which comprises heating a mass comprising an alkali and extracted Perm Vian bark residues to an oXalate-forming temperature under oXalate-forming condition... y

2l. In the manufacture of oxa'lates, the process which comprises heating a mass comprising soda. and extracted Peruvian bark vresidues to an oxalateforming temperature under oXalate-forming conditions.

22. In the manufacture of oxalates, the process which comprises heating a mass comprising soda Waste lye, additional alkali, and woody fiber t'o an oxalate-forming temperature under oXalate-forming condil tions.

23. In the manufacture' of oxalates, the

process which comprises heating a mass comprising soda waste lye, additional al-` kali and extracted vegetable material to an malate-forming temperature under oxalateforming conditions.A

tained at oxalate-foriningA moving body or stream during the .kali and extracted Peruvian bark residues .'to'anI oxalate-forming temperature under oxalate-formlng condltlons.

` In. 'the manufacture of oxalates, the

Vpricess which comprises producing a conzg tmuously moving body or stream'of material comprising soda Waste lye, additional 'alkali and woody fiber passing such stream through a heated zone maintained at oxallate-forming temperatures and of different temperatures at different points along the progress ot'such stream, an initial and a iinal point being of higher temperature than an intermediate, shielding such stream from free 'access of atmospheric air during at least a port-ion otits progress while permitting a regulated oxidation in such stream by impinging jetsof air at differentpoints,

such jet air being of controlled composition, adding moisture to such stream at different points along its progress and at a Final point m its progress permitting freer oxidation than at intermediate points. Y

26. The process of forming oxal'atcs which comprises heating a mass of material comprising alkali and woody fiber constituents to anoxalateforming temperature and maintaining it at such temperature until the conversion into oxalate is complete, liquid moisture being added to the mass from time to time during such conversion in amount sufficient to maintain the mass in a plastic condition.

In testimony whereof,v I ax my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

CARLETON ELLIS.

Witnesses:

NATHANIEL L. Fos'rnn, HENRIETTA BERKUn'rz. 

